Crispy Rice Cakes

This recipe is one of the reasons we love participating in the food matters project; we cook rice often but would never have thought to turn it into little fried patties.  It's so nice to put a twist on a staple food and be encouraged to try new things in the kitchen.

Bittman's recipe for Crispy Rice Cakes is straightforward - form rice into patties and pan fry.  Doing so gives a new and unique texture to the rice and allows you to add in any number of other flavors.  We happened to have leftover Chinese food from the weekend to pair with these (yum), but otherwise would have thrown together a simple stir-fry.

These cakes are adaptable to many different cuisines, we added Asian flavors, but you could also add Indian, Mexican, or Italian flavors to pair with other main dishes.  Our version of Bittman's recipe is below and you can find his original recipe at Small Kitchen College.

Crispy Rice Cakes
Adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

2 cups dry brown rice, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce, or to taste
1 tsp Sriracha, or to taste
2 tbs sesame seeds
Rice wine vinegar, if desired to taste
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil

Place rinsed rice and garlic in a medium saucepan and cover with water by 1 1/2 inches.  Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer, and cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  If the water has been absorbed during this time but the rice is not mushy, add 1/2 to 1 cup more water.  (Slightly overcooked and over hydrated rice is best in this application so the patties stick together.)

Once rice has cooled enough to handle, coat bottom of a large skillet with 1/4 inch oil and heat over medium-high heat.  Form rice into small, 1/2 inch thick patties and place in hot oil.  Cook on each side for 5 minutes, until rice turns golden brown.

Serve immediately or keep warm in 250* oven.  Makes 12 2-inch patties.

A Twist on Greek Salad

This week's the food matters project recipe was another minimal-cook dish that was great for summer - you could make this salad completely raw if you wanted to avoid any cooking.  The original recipe, chosen by Megan is Bittman's Greek "Nachos" with Feta Drizzle - a fun combination of Mexican nachos and Greek salad.

We decided to turn this recipe into a full salad by taking out the pita to avoid turning on the oven and adding bulgur (which can be soaked in cold water).  To the bulgur we added a mix of vegetables, some traditional in Greek salad (tomatoes, olives, peppers), and some not (eggplant, zucchini).  We topped this all with Bittman's feta drizzle with some fresh oregano.

This recipe is a quick and fun evening meal that uses all the best summer vegetables in a new way.  To check out the original recipe visit Art by Megan and keep reading below to see our version.

Summer Rolls

We cannot get enough make-ahead-and-serve-cold meals during the summer.  Alyssa from Everyday Maven must have known that when she picked this weeks the food matters project recipe - summer rolls.  These Thai-inspired rolls are easy and fun to put together as long as you have two specialty ingredients on hand (both of which can be found at any supermarket): cellophane noodles and rice paper.

With these two staples you can substitute in any variation of vegetables and herbs you like and have on hand.  This time we used carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, mint, and basil.  An easy to make peanut sauce serves as the perfect compliment to this refreshing and healthy side dish, snack, appetizer, or side dish (we had ours with a simple stir fry).

For one of our versions of this recipe check out our post from last summer, Thai Summer Rolls, and for another, click over to Everyday Maven.

Popcorn!

The Food Matters Project this week was "Wild Card Week", which meant we should make a recipe that we missed the first time around.  One of our favorite snacks in the afternoon is homemade popcorn - it's fast, easy, and healthy.  Before seeing Bittman's recipe we had been experimenting with different techniques but never got it perfect.  Thanks to his suggestions (see below) we now can make perfect popcorn every time.

This time we seasoned our snack with Old Bay Seasoning and nutritional yeast.  For those who haven't tried nutritional yeast, it gives a rich and slightly buttery/cheesy flavor without the fat which is perfect in a recipe like this.

Follow our/Bittman's recipe and try your had at making your own popcorn for your next snack or to bring as a perfect appetizer to an informal dinner party.

Roasted Potatoes with Ancho Chile Vinaigrette

Spicy foods and hot summer nights might not seem like an intuitive combination, but cultures around the world have figured out that spicy foods help your body cool down naturally.  That's why this week's the food matters project recipe was a perfect sunday night side dish.  Mireya chose Bittman's Roasted Potatoes with Chicken and Romesco Sauce recipe, which pairs oven roasted summer potatoes with a spicy pepper and tomato sauce.

We are currently in the process of moving apartments and were not able to gather all the ingredients for the romesco sauce, but our friend, Ellen, has a delicious recipe for an ancho chile vinaigrette.  The vinaigrette has a great balance of sweet and spicy and pairs perfectly with roasted potatoes or any other vegetables you would want to add it to.  This is also a great summer or entertaining side dish because it can be served at room temperature.

Our basic method of roasted potatoes is to combine 1/4 slices of potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and 450*F or sauté in a skillet until tender on the outside and crisp on the outside.

For Ellen's chile vinaigrette recipe check out Ellen in the Kitchen and for this week's the food matters project recipe visit My Healthy Eating Habits.